Horse & Rider Gear is an online glossary of terms and definitions commonly encountered by horse lovers. Click on the links below to choose from our alphabetical list of terms.

Cinch

Ideally, an occupied stall should be cleaned once a day to ensure freshness of bedding, minimal odor, and a healthy environment for the horse. To ensure safety, turn the horse out before cleaning the stall. If this is not possible, be sure to tie the horse.

Begin the cleaning routing by removing manure and soiled bedding with a manure fork or pitchfork, leaving as much of the clean bedding in the stall as possible. Next, use a shovel to remove bedding that is wet or packed down. Now, sweep dry bedding over wet areas to soak up any remaining liquid from the floor. Then push all bedding against the stall walls and let the floor dry. If necessary, apply an odor-control product to wet spots.

When the floor is dry, finish the cleaning task by adding new bedding as needed and redistributing all bedding. Place the cleanest bedding in the horse's rest area. "Stripping the stall" by removing all bedding and replacing it with fresh material is recommended on a weekly basis.